Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. is any period of time where there is no breathing while asleep. Usually the time period is a minimum 10 seconds, when this happens the brain and the rest of the body may not get enough oxygen. Sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age, even children. Sleep apnea comes with different forms, and it comes with increased risk factors like Dementia, CV, and so on, nevertheless there are treatments that can eliminates such risk (Brien, 2011).

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common forms of apnea which is caused by a blockage of the airway, this usually happens when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep. According to Ultius essay “An Obstructive Disease” obstructive sleep apnea comes with complications like high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease, automobile accidents, and daytime sleepiness as well as difficulty concentrating, thinking and remembering. Having sleep apnea means not being able to have a good rest at night, and this can increase a person’s heart rate, blood pressure which can cause stroke. furthermore, not being able to have enough rest can cause a person to have accident and difficult concentrating. Obstructive sleep apnea can be diagnosed and evaluated by history, physical examination and polysomnography.

Another form of Sleep apnea is Central sleep apnea: Unlike Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the airway is not blocked, but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe, due to instability in the respiratory control center. Meanwhile someone can have both forms of sleep apnea and when such happens it term

Complex sleep apnea syndrome.

According to Nainggolan, sleep apnea have been linked to CV deaths in elderly. severe obstructive sleep apnea can increase the risk of cardiovascular mortality in the elderly if left untreated, but an adequate therapy may reduce the risk. Elderly women who suffer from sleep apnea are characterized by disrupted breathing, sleep, and a reduction in the intake of oxygen are about twice as likely to develop dementia within five years than those without such condition.

Sleep apnea comes with different types of treatment. life style changes treatments includes; weight lost, avoiding alcohol and sleeping pills, Changing sleep positions to improve breathing, Stopping smoking, since smoking increase the swelling in the upper airway, which worsen both snoring and apnea, and avoiding sleeping on your back.The nonsurgical treatments for obstructive sleep apnea include behavior therapy, medications, dental appliances, continuous positive airway pressure, bi-level positive airway pressure.

Continuous positive airway pressure populary known as CPAP is the most effective and common way of treating sleep apnea. Is a treatment in which a mask is worn over the nose and/or